Chronic restraint stress induces depression-like behaviors and alterations in the afferent projections of medial prefrontal cortex from multiple brain regions in mice.

INTRODUCTION: The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) forms output pathways through projection neurons, inversely receiving adjacent and long-range inputs from other brain regions. However, how afferent neurons of mPFC are affected by chronic stress needs to be clarified. In this study, the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on the distribution density of mPFC dendrites/dendritic spines and the projections from the cortex and subcortical brain regions to the mPFC were investigaed. METHODS: In the present study, C57BL/6J transgenic (Thy1-YFP-H) mice were subjected to CRS to establish an animal model of depression. The infralimbic (IL) of mPFC was selected as the injection site of retrograde AAV using stereotactic technique. The effects of CRS on dendrites/dendritic spines and afferent neurons of the mPFC IL were investigaed by quantitatively assessing the distribution density of green fluorescent (YFP) positive dendrites/dendritic spines and red fluorescent (retrograde AAV recombinant protein) positive neurons, repectively. RESULTS: The results revealed that retrograde tracing virus labeled neurons were widely distributed in ipsilateral and contralateral cingulate cortex (Cg1), second cingulate cortex (Cg2), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex, medial orbital cortex (MO), and dorsal peduncular cortex (DP). The effects of CRS on the distribution density of mPFC red fluorescence positive neurons exhibited regional differences, ranging from rostral to caudal or from top to bottom. Simultaneously, CRS resulted a decrease in the distribution density of basal, proximal and distal dendrites, as well as an increase in the loss of dendritic spines of the distal dendrites in the IL of mPFC. Furthemore, varying degrees of red retrograde tracing virus fluorescence signals were observed in other cortices, amygdala, hippocampus, septum/basal forebrain, hypothalamus, thalamus, mesencephalon, and brainstem in both ipsilateral and contralateral brain. CRS significantly reduced the distribution density of red fluorescence positive neurons in other cortices, hippocampus, septum/basal forebrain, hypothalamus, and thalamus. Conversely, CRS significantly increased the distribution density of red fluorescence positive neurons in amygdala. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a possible mechanism that CRS leads to disturbances in synaptic plasticity by affecting multiple inputs to the mPFC, which is characterized by a decrease in the distribution density of dendrites/dendritic spines in the IL of mPFC and a reduction in input neurons of multiple cortices to the IL of mPFC as well as an increase in input neurons of amygdala to the IL of mPFC, ultimately causing depression-like behaviors.

GETdb: A comprehensive database for genetic and evolutionary features of drug targets.

The development of an innovative drug is complex and time-consuming, and the drug target identification is one of the critical steps in drug discovery process. Effective and accurate identification of drug targets can accelerate the drug development process. According to previous research, evolutionary and genetic information of genes has been found to facilitate the identification of approved drug targets. In addition, allosteric proteins have great potential as targets due to their structural diversity. However, this information that could facilitate target identification has not been collated in existing drug target databases. Here, we construct a comprehensive drug target database named Genetic and Evolutionary features of drug Targets database (GETdb, http://zhanglab.hzau.edu.cn/GETdb/page/index.jsp). This database not only integrates and standardizes data from dozens of commonly used drug and target databases, but also innovatively includes the genetic and evolutionary information of targets. Moreover, this database features an effective allosteric protein prediction model. GETdb contains approximately 4000 targets and over 29,000 drugs, and is a user-friendly database for searching, browsing and downloading data to facilitate the development of novel targets.

GBDT_KgluSite: An improved computational prediction model for lysine glutarylation sites based on feature fusion and GBDT classifier.

BACKGROUND: Lysine glutarylation (Kglu) is one of the most important Post-translational modifications (PTMs), which plays significant roles in various cellular functions, including metabolism, mitochondrial processes, and translation. Therefore, accurate identification of the Kglu site is important for elucidating protein molecular function. Due to the time-consuming and expensive limitations of traditional biological experiments, computational-based Kglu site prediction research is gaining more and more attention. RESULTS: In this paper, we proposed GBDT_KgluSite, a novel Kglu site prediction model based on GBDT and appropriate feature combinations, which achieved satisfactory performance. Specifically, seven features including sequence-based features, physicochemical property-based features, structural-based features, and evolutionary-derived features were used to characterize proteins. NearMiss-3 and Elastic Net were applied to address data imbalance and feature redundancy issues, respectively. The experimental results show that GBDT_KgluSite has good robustness and generalization ability, with accuracy and AUC values of 93.73%, and 98.14% on five-fold cross-validation as well as 90.11%, and 96.75% on the independent test dataset, respectively. CONCLUSION: GBDT_KgluSite is an effective computational method for identifying Kglu sites in protein sequences. It has good stability and generalization ability and could be useful for the identification of new Kglu sites in the future. The relevant code and dataset are available at https://github.com/flyinsky6/GBDT_KgluSite .

Deep_KsuccSite: A novel deep learning method for the identification of lysine succinylation sites.

Identification of lysine (symbol Lys or K) succinylation (Ksucc) sites centralizes the basis for disclosing the mechanism and function of lysine succinylation modifications. Traditional experimental methods for Ksucc site ientification are often costly and time-consuming. Therefore, it is necessary to construct an efficient computational method to prediction the presence of Ksucc sites in protein sequences. In this study, we proposed a novel and effective predictor for the identification of Ksucc sites based on deep learning algorithms that was termed as Deep_KsuccSite. The predictor adopted Composition, Transition, and Distribution (CTD) Composition (CTDC), Enhanced Grouped Amino Acid Composition (EGAAC), Amphiphilic Pseudo-Amino Acid Composition (APAAC), and Embedding Encoding methods to encode peptides, then constructed three base classifiers using one-dimensional (1D) convolutional neural network (CNN) and 2D-CNN, and finally utilized voting method to get the final results. K-fold cross-validation and independent testing showed that Deep_KsuccSite could serve as an effective tool to identify Ksucc sites in protein sequences. In addition, the ablation experiment results based on voting, feature combination, and model architecture showed that Deep_KsuccSite could make full use of the information of different features to construct an effective classifier. Taken together, we developed Deep_KsuccSite in this study, which was based on deep learning algorithm and could achieved better prediction accuracy than current methods for lysine succinylation sites. The code and dataset involved in this methodological study are permanently available at the URL https://github.com/flyinsky6/Deep_KsuccSite.

An enhanced methodology for predicting protein-protein interactions between human and hepatitis C virus via ensemble learning algorithms.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for a variety of human life-threatening diseases, which include liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) . Computational study of protein-protein interactions between human and HCV could boost the findings of antiviral drugs in HCV therapy and might optimize the treatment procedures for HCV infections. In this analysis, we constructed a prediction model for protein-protein interactions between HCV and human by incorporating the features generated by pseudo amino acid compositions, which were then carried out at two levels: categories and features. In brief, extra-tree was initially used for feature selection while SVM was then used to build the classification model. After that, the most suitable models for each category and each feature were selected by comparing with the three ensemble learning algorithms, that is, Random Forest, Adaboost, and Xgboost. According to our results, profile-based features were more suitable for building predictive models among the four categories. AUC value of the model constructed by Xgboost algorithm on independent data set could reach 92.66%. Moreover, Distance-based Residue, Physicochemical Distance Transformation and Profile-based Physicochemical Distance Transformation performed much better among the 17 features. AUC value of the Adaboost classifier constructed by Profile-based Physicochemical Distance Transformation on the independent dataset achieved 93.74%. Taken together, we proposed a better model with improved prediction capacity for protein-protein interactions between human and HCV in this study, which could provide practical reference for further experimental investigation into HCV-related diseases in future.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Estradiol attenuates chronic restraint stress-induced dendrite and dendritic spine loss and cofilin1 activation in ovariectomized mice.

Ovarian hormone deprivation is associated with mood disorders, such as depression, and estradiol therapy is significantly more effective than placebos in treating major depression associated with menopause onset. However, the effect of estradiol on neuronal plasticity and its mechanisms remain to be further elucidated. In this study, behavioral assessments were used to examine the antidepressant effect of estradiol in ovariectomized (OVX) B6.Cg-TgN (Thy-YFP-H)-2Jrs transgenic mice on chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced dendrite and dendritic spine loss; Yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) is characteristically expressed in excitatory neurons in transgenic mice, and its three-dimensional images were used to evaluate the effect of estradiol on the density of different types of dendritic spines. Quantification and distribution of cofilin1 and p-cofilin1 were determined by qPCR, Western blots, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The results revealed that treatment with estradiol or clomipramine significantly improved depression-like behaviors. Estradiol treatment also significantly upregulated the dendritic density in all areas examined and increased the density of filopodia-type, thin-type and mushroom-type spines in the hippocampal CA1 and elevated the thin-type and mushroom-type spine density in the PFC. Consistent with these changes, estradiol treatment significantly increased the density of p-cofilin1 immunopositive dendritic spines. Thus, these data reveal a possible estradiol antidepressant mechanism, in that estradiol promoted the phosphorylation of cofilin1 and reduced the loss of dendrites and dendritic spines, which of these dendritic spines include not only immature spines such as filopodia-type, but also mature spines such as mushroom-type, and attenuated the depression-like behavior.

Endothelium-derived Cdk5 deficit aggravates air pollution-induced peripheral vasoconstriction through AT1R upregulation.

PM2.5 infiltrates into circulation and increases the risk of systemic vascular dysfunction. As the first-line barrier against external stimuli, the molecular mechanism of the biological response of vascular endothelial cells to PM2.5 exposure remains unclear. In this study, 4-week-old mice were exposed to Hangzhou 'real' airborne PM2.5 for 2 months and were found to display bronchial and alveolar damage. Importantly, in the present study, we have demonstrated that Cdk5 deficit induced peripheral vasoconstriction through angiotensin II type 1 receptor under angiotensin II stimulation in Cdh5-cre;Cdk5f/n mice. In the brain, Cdk5 deficit increased the myogenic activity in the medullary arterioles under external pressure. On the other hand, no changes in cerebral blood flow and behavior patterns were observed in the Cdh5-cre;Cdk5f/n mice exposed to PM2.5. Therefore, our current findings indicate that CDK5 plays an important role in endothelium cell growth, migration, and molecular transduction, which is also a sensor for the response of vascular endothelial cells to PM2.5.

The Antidepressant Effects of Resveratrol are Accompanied by the Attenuation of Dendrite/Dendritic Spine Loss and the Upregulation of BDNF/p-cofilin1 Levels in Chronic Restraint Mice.

Depression afflicts more than 300 million people worldwide, but there is currently no universally effective drug in clinical practice. In this study, chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced mice depression model was used to study the antidepressant effects of resveratrol and its mechanism. Our results showed that resveratrol significantly attenuated depression-like behavior in mice. Consistent with behavioral changes, resveratrol significantly attenuated CRS-induced reduction in the density of dendrites and dendritic spines in both hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Meanwhile, in hippocampus and mPFC, resveratrol consistently alleviated CRS-induced cofilin1 activation by increasing its ser3 phosphorylation. In addition, cofilin1 immunofluorescence distribution in neuronal inner peri-membrane in controls, and cofilin1 diffusely distribution in the cytoplasm in CRS group were common in hippocampus. However, the distribution of cofilin1 in mPFC was reversed. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant positive correlation found between the sucrose consumption in sucrose preference test and the dendrite density in multiple sub-regions of hippocampus and mPFC, and a significant negative correlation between the immobility time in tail suspension test and the dendrite/dendritic spine density in several different areas of hippocampus and mPFC. P-cofilin1 was significantly positively correlated with the overall dendritic spine density in mPFC as well as with the overall dendrite density or BDNF in the hippocampus. Our results suggest that the BDNF/cofilin1 pathway, in which cofilin1 may be activated in a brain-specific manner, was involved in resveratrol's attenuating the dendrite and dendritic spine loss and behavioral abnormality.

Exploring the Genetic Association of the ABAT Gene with Alzheimer's Disease.

Accumulating evidence demonstrated that GABAergic dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The GABA aminotransferase (ABAT) gene encodes a mitochondrial GABA transaminase and plays key roles in the biogenesis and metabolism of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. In this study, we performed an integrative study at the genetic and expression levels to investigate the potential genetic association between the ABAT gene and AD. Through re-analyzing data from the currently largest meta-analysis of AD genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified genetic variants in the 3'-UTR of ABAT as the top AD-associated SNPs (P < 1 × 10-4) in this gene. Functional annotation of these AD-associated SNPs indicated that these SNPs are located in the regulatory regions of transcription factors or/and microRNAs. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and luciferase reporter assay showed that the AD risk alleles of these SNPs were associated with a reduced expression level of ABAT. Further analysis of mRNA expression data and single-cell transcriptome data of AD patients showed that ABAT reduction in the neuron is an early event during AD development. Overall, our results indicated that ABAT genetic variants may be associated with AD through affecting its mRNA expression. An abnormal level of ABAT will lead to a disturbance of the GABAergic signal pathway in AD brains.

RhoA/Rock2/Limk1/cofilin1 pathway is involved in attenuation of neuronal dendritic spine loss by paeonol in the frontal cortex of D-galactose and aluminum­induced Alzheimer's disease­like rat model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Given the pathogenesis of AD is unclear, there is currently no drug approved to halt or delay the progression of AD. Therefore, it is pressing to explore new targets and drugs for AD. In China, polyphenolic Chinese herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years in clinical application, and no toxic effects have been reported. In the present study, using D­galactose and aluminum­induced rat model, the effects of paeonol on AD were validated via the Morris water maze test, open field test, and elevated plus maze test. Neuronal morphology in frontal cortex was assessed using ImageJ's Sholl plugin and RESCONSTRUCT software. RhoA/Rock2/Limk1/cofilin1 signaling pathway­related molecules were determined by Western blotting. Cofilin1 and p­cofilin1 were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Results showed that pre­treatment with paeonol attenuated D­galactose and aluminum­induced behavioral dysfunction and AD­like pathological alterations in the frontal cortex. Accompanied by these changes were the alterations in the dendrite and dendritic spine densities, especially the mushroom­type and filopodia­type spines in the apical dendrites, as well as actin filaments. In addition, the activity and intracellular distribution of cofilin1 and the molecules RhoA/Rock2/Limk1 that regulate the signaling pathway for cofilin1 phosphorylation have also changed. Our data suggests that paeonol may be through reducing Aß levels to alleviate the loss of fibrillar actin and dendrites and dendritic spines via the Rho/Rock2/Limk1/cofilin1 signaling pathway in the frontal cortex, and ultimately improving AD­like behavior.

Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for single spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing cesarean section: a system review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reported the effect of dexmedetomidine on intrathecal anesthesia. In this review, we explored the impact of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct for lumbar anesthesia in patients undergoing cesarean section. METHODS: Two authors searched eligible random controlled trials in electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese BioMedical database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and the Wanfang database. RESULTS: Ten trials comprising 970 patients were included in this review. Intrathecal dexmedetomidine significantly reduced the onset time of sensory block (standardized mean difference (SMD), -1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.15, -0.85, I2 = 92%) and motor block (SMD -0.77, 95% CI -1.50, -0.49, I2 = 60%) and prolonged the block duration time (sensory block: SMD 2.02, 95% CI 1.29, 2.74, I2 = 93%; motor block: SMD 1.90, 95% CI 1.07, 2.74, I2 = 94%). Patients who received dexmedetomidine showed a lower incidence of shivering. No significant difference was reported for the neonatal Apgar score and other complications. CONCLUSION: The use of intrathecal dexmedetomidine during cesarean section can shorten the onset time of spinal anesthesia and enhance the effect of local anesthetic. It has no significant impact on neonates and there were no other adverse events.

Endothelial Cdk5 deficit leads to the development of spontaneous epilepsy through CXCL1/CXCR2-mediated reactive astrogliosis.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction has been suggested to play an important role in epilepsy. However, the mechanism mediating the transition from cerebrovascular damage to epilepsy remains unknown. Here, we report that endothelial cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is a central regulator of neuronal excitability. Endothelial-specific Cdk5 knockout led to spontaneous seizures in mice. Knockout mice showed increased endothelial chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (Cxcl1) expression, decreased astrocytic glutamate reuptake through the glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1), and increased glutamate synaptic function. Ceftriaxone restored astrocytic GLT1 function and inhibited seizures in endothelial Cdk5-deficient mice, and these effects were also reversed after silencing Cxcl1 in endothelial cells and its receptor chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2 (Cxcr2) in astrocytes, respectively, in the CA1 by AAV transfection. These results reveal a previously unknown link between cerebrovascular factors and epileptogenesis and provide a rationale for targeting endothelial signaling as a potential treatment for epilepsy.

GPR124 facilitates pericyte polarization and migration by regulating the formation of filopodia during ischemic injury.

Prolonged occlusion of multiple microvessels causes microvascular injury. G protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) has been reported to be required for maintaining central nervous system (CNS) angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier integrity. However, the molecular mechanisms by which GPR124 regulates pericytes during ischemia have remained elusive. Methods: A microsphere embolism-induced ischemia model was used to evaluate the expression of GPR124 following microsphere embolism. Immunocytochemistry and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy imaging were used to assess the expression and distribution of GPR124 in human brain vascular pericytes (HBVPs) and after the treatment with 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1) or oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The effect of GPR124 knockdown or overexpression on HBVP migration was analyzed in vitro using wound healing assays and a microfluidic device. GPR124 loss-of-function studies were performed in HBVPs and HEK293 cells using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene deletion. Time-lapse imaging was used to assess dynamic changes in the formation of filopodia in an individual cell. Finally, to explore the functional domains required for GPR124 activity, deletion mutants were constructed for each of the N-terminal domains. Results: GPR124 expression was increased in pericytes following microsphere embolism. Morphological analysis showed localization of GPR124 to focal adhesions where GPR124 bound directly to the actin binding protein vinculin and upregulated Cdc42. SIN-1 or OGD treatment redistributed GPR124 to the leading edges of HBVPs where GPR124 signaling was required for pericyte filopodia formation and directional migration. Partial deletion of GPR124 domains decreased SIN-1-induced filopodia formation and cell migration. Conclusion: Taken together, our results provide the first evidence for a role of GPR124 in pericyte migration under ischemic conditions and suggest that GPR124 was essential for Cdc42 activation and filopodia formation.

Chronic asthma-induced behavioral and hippocampal neuronal morphological changes are concurrent with BDNF, cofilin1 and Cdc42/RhoA alterations in immature mice.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have found that persistent hypoxia caused by chronic asthma, especially during childhood, affects the development and function of the brain, but the mechanism is unclear. In the present study, BDNF and its signal pathway was investigated in mediating chronic asthma induced-neuronal changes that lead to behavior alterations. METHODS: The chronic asthma model was induced by sensitization with ovalbumin for more than 9 weeks in immature mice. Morris water maze test (MWMT), open field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze test (EPMT) were used to conduct behavioral evaluation. Neuronal morphology in hippocampal CA1, CA3 and DG was assessed using ImageJ's Sholl plugin and RESCONSTRUCT software. BDNF signaling pathway related molecules was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Chronic asthma does affect the behavioral performances of immature mice evaluated in MWMT, OFT, and EPMT. The analysis by three-dimensional reconstruction software found that following the behavioral alteration of asthmatic mice, dendritic changes also occurred in hippocampal neurons, including shortened dendrite length, significantly reduced number of dendritic branches, decreased density of dendritic spines, and reduced percentage of functional dendritic spine types. At the same time, by immunofluorescence and western blotting, we also found that alterations in dendritic morphology were consistent with activation of cofilin1 and changes in BDNF-Cdc42/RhoA levels. Some of the changes mentioned above can be alleviated by intranasal administration of budesonide. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that response similar to nicotine withdrawal or/and hypoxia induced by childhood chronic asthma enhances the BDNF-Cdc42/RhoA signaling pathway and activates cofilin1, leading to the remodeling of actin, causing the loss of dendritic spines and atrophy of dendrites, eventually resulting in behavioral alterations.

Elucidation of the FKBP25-60S Ribosomal Protein L7a Stress Response Signaling During Ischemic Injury.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase FKBP25 is a member of the FK506-binding proteins family which has peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase domain. The biological function and pathophysiologic role of FKBP25 remain elusive. METHODS: The spatio-temporal changes in expression of endothelial FKBP25 upon oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treatment were examined by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) were used to address the interacting proteins with FKBP25. RESULTS: In the present study, nuclear translocation of FKBP25 was observed following OGD in cultured endothelial cells. Intriguingly, FKBP25 nuclear translocation was further validated in peroxynitrite (ONOO-)-treated endothelial cells. Coimmunoprecipitation and FRET data indicated that FKBP25 translocated into the nucleus, in which it interacted with 60S ribosomal protein L7a, while overexpression FKBP25 protect endothelial cells against OGD injury. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that the nuclear import of FKBP25 and binding with 60S ribosomal protein L7a are protective stress responses to ischemia/nitrosaive stress injury.

Novel antidepressant effects of Paeonol alleviate neuronal injury with concomitant alterations in BDNF, Rac1 and RhoA levels in chronic unpredictable mild stress rats.

RATIONALE: Increasing evidence has suggested that major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly associated with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, dendrites atrophy, and loss of dendritic spines, especially in emotion-associated brain regions including the hippocampus. Paeonol is a kind of polyphenols natural product with a variety of therapeutic effects. Recent studies have reported its antidepressant effects. However, it is unclear what signaling pathways contribute to improve MDD. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the effect of Paeonol on hippocampal neuronal morphology and its possible signaling pathways in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model. METHODS: Using CUMS rat model, the antidepressant-like effect of Paeonol was validated via depression-related behavioral tests. Neuronal morphology in hippocampal CA1 and DG was assessed using ImageJ's Sholl plugin and RESCONSTRUCT software. BDNF signaling pathway-related molecules was determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Paeonol attenuated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors, which were accompanied by hippocampal neuronal morphological alterations. After Paeonol treatment for 4 weeks, the dendritic length and complexity and the density of dendritic spines markedly increased in the hippocampal CA1 and the dentate gyrus (DG). However, CUMS or Paeonol treatment does not selectively affect dendritic spine types. Simultaneously, administration of Paeonol deterred CUMS-induced cofilin1 activation that is essential for remolding of dendritic spines. The induction of CUMS downregulated BDNF levels and upregulated Rac1/RhoA levels; however, the tendency of these was inhibited by treatment with Paeonol. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that BDNF-Rac1/RhoA pathway may be involved in attenuation of CUMS-induced behavioral and neuronal damage by Paeonol that may represent a novel therapeutic agent for depression.

[The effects of anthocyanin on chronic inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of anthocyanin from Ligustrum vicaryi on chronic inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=10):normal saline control group (NS), chronic inflammatory pain model group(Mod, injected with complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA) 100 µl to the left hind leg), anthocyanin treatment group(Ant, dosed with anthocyanins (90 m), mechanical pain threshold (MPT), and left toe volume in each group were measured before modeling and 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 days after operation. Antioxidant indexes in serum were mensurated by spectrophotometer, and the total capsaicin receptor (TRPV1) and phosphorylated capsaicin receptor (p-TRPV1) in hippocampus were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: In comparison with controls, HPT and MPT were improved (P<0.05),toe swelling was reduced(P<0.05), the serum level of SOD was increased (P<0.01), while the levels of MDA and NO were decreased (P<0.05), the ratio of P-TRPV1/TRPV1 protein was depressed in Mod rat hippocampal region treated with anthocyanin. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that anthocyanins has an analgesic effect on chronic inflammatory pain induced by CFA, and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of antioxidant capacity and the reduction of TRPV1 phosphorylation.

Novel derivative of Paeonol, Paeononlsilatie sodium, alleviates behavioral damage and hippocampal dendritic injury in Alzheimer's disease concurrent with cofilin1/phosphorylated-cofilin1 and RAC1/CDC42 alterations in rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a typical hippocampal amnesia and the most common senile dementia. Many studies suggest that cognitive impairments are more closely correlated with synaptic loss than the burden of amyloid deposits in AD progression. To date, there is no effective treatment for this disease. Paeonol has been widely employed in traditional Chinese medicine. This compound improves learning behavior in an animal model; however, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, Paeononlsilatie sodium (Pa), a derivative of Paeonol, attenuated D-galactose (D-gal) and AlCl3-induced behavioral damages in rats based on evaluations of the open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze test (EPMT), and Morris water maze test (MWMT). Pa increased the dendritic complexity and the density of dendritic spines. Correlation analysis indicated that morphological changes in neuronal dendrites are closely correlated with behavioral changes. Pa treatment reduced the production of Aß, affected the phosphorylation and redistribution of cofilin1 and inhibited rod-like formation in hippocampal neurons. The induction of D-gal and AlCl3 promoted the expression of RAC1/CDC42 expression; however, the tendency of gene expression was inhibited by pretreatment with Pa. Taken together, our results suggest that Pa may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the improvement of cognitive and emotional behaviors and dendritic morphology in an AD animal model.